Poverty Matters in Middle School Transition: A Tale of
Four Schools
Antoinette Errante & Tracey A. Stuckey-Mickell
The Ohio State University
AERA – April 27, 2013
Impetus for the Study
Fieldston Public School District
OSU EHE Research Team
Primary Research Questions
• How do administrators,’ teachers’, parents’ and students’ perceive middle school transition? What social, academic, and developmental factors influence the 6th grade experience?
• How do 6th graders perceive their middle school transition and the factors predictive of dropout?
• To what degree do students, teachers and parents identify school-related factors (e.g. school safety, sense of academic self-efficacy, supportive learning environments, relationships with peers and teachers) as contributing to chronic absenteeism?
• What can FPS do to create a more supportive transition experience, particularly for students at greatest dropout risk?
Theory and Related Literature
• Recent work at John Hopkins – Grad Nation (2009)
• Existing research has found: • Transition to middle school as challenging and impactful
• Four predictive factors for HS dropout: Attendance, math performance, English performance, incidence of out-of-school suspension
• Many relevant factors related to motivation, engagement, retention & parent-educator communication
• Stage-environment fit theory (Eccles & Midgley, 2006)• Intersection between child’s developmental stage and appropriateness
instructional & psychosocial contexts (Frey, 2008)
Study Framework
• Situated within existing literature by examining similar influences and factors
• Also, sensitive to policy context and community context (particularly high poverty) as possible influences (Apple 2006a, 2006b; author reference; Knapp and Associates 1995; Lareau 2003; Oakes & Lipton 1997; Oakes & Well 2003; Nandy 2002).
Method
• Settings and Participants• Large Midwestern, urban district; demographically diverse
• Four very different middle schools Esra, Thompkins, Abraham, Driscoll;
• 6th grade students ( n= 134; all surveyed)
• Sub-sample purposively selected (n = 48; 4 groups of 12) for in-depth study
Method
Questionnaires, attendance records,
Math/ELA performance and
discipline records (n=
Purposive selection of subsets of students from
three schools* for photo-ethnography
(n=48)
Individual & focus group interviews, observations & field notes; teachers,
admins, parents
Design, Data Collection, Analysis
Findings and Discussion
Driscoll Middle SchoolWealthy, north side
neighborhood; attracts transfers from failing schools
(ex: 6th grade from 40 different schools); met attendance reqs;
SRCR: Excellent
Thompkins Middle SchoolChoice school-no feeder; SES diverse, predominately Black; reputation as high-achieving
with many legacy students; met attendance;
SRCR: Continuous Improvement
Abraham Middle SchoolSouth side neighborhood;
predominately White, Appalachian, low SES; most families w/ long
residential history & strong identification; some from well-to-do,
gentrified area; recent immigrant popln w/ residential transience;
struggles with absenteeismSRCR: Academic Watch
Esra Middle SchoolWest side neighborhood;
predominately white, Appalachian, low SES; strong identity & community pride; families w/ long residential
history, but precarious housing & high mobility; higher concentration of
poverty than Abraham, one of worst attendance ratings in the city;
SRCR: Academic Emergency
Findings and Discussion
• 6th Grade Orientation Experience and Communication with Parents• Teacher/admin participation
• School day visits w/ interaction
• Teacher/class introduction; teacher enthusiasm
• Student practice with class transitions, lockers; scaffold student autonomy
• Discussions around student concerns/social anxieties
• Parent engagement; ongoing education on middle school experience and student needs
Influencing Factors
Findings and Discussion
• Academic and Socio-Emotional Levels and Time for Transition
• Working Beyond Stress Absorption Capacity
• Developmentally Appropriate Context-Specific Instructional and Psychosocial Environments
• Factors Affecting Absenteeism
Influencing Factors
Implications and Recommendations
• Nature of 6th grade orientation• Include features that support strong community-building, united
adult front; address student concerns/anxieties and scaffold autonomy
• Parent engagement and education• Recruit involvement during orientation, transition, and throughout
the year
Implications and Recommendations
• Developmentally appropriate, context-specific instructional & psychosocial environments• Take poverty-related challenges into account—context matters!!!
Findings and Recommendations
• District has adopted evidence–based policies to address transition & attendance: Feeder patterns; upgraded data management capacities
• Recommendations• Reduce moving targets (i.e., abrupt and rapid changes in standards/goals,
etc)
• Re-invest in success programming to reduce absenteeism
• Embrace bottom-up decision process for school-level buy-in and context specificity
• Implement context-specific, professional development; consider teacher affect
• Avoid punitive measures and implement consistently
An Analysis of District Level Policies & Practices
DISCUSSION AND QUESTIONS!